Nancy Fletcher, the sister of B027 Theodore Fletcher, stared at her computer screen with the blank stare of a thousand statues or something. Theo was a better writer than her; she didn't get any of that frilly shit.
Theo. He was on SotF. It was bizarre. Her older brother, on SotF. Almost like a joke, like "oh, you met Pete Rose? Well, I know a guy who was on SOTF!". It was funny, really, that she was being crushed in agony by the despair.
Nancy's big brother and his class had vanished a month ago. It'd been supposedly a plane crash, but Nancy had always held sneaking suspicion. She wasn't the type to trust what people said blindly; she believed she was smarter than that. Still, the mourning took roughly a month, during which she tried to accept it as an accident.
Then the news came in; the live stream circulated the net, everyone was talking about it, because it was fucking Aurora on the channel.
And Nancy died a little inside.
She didn't cry, though. She couldn't cry; the mourning was over. Her brother was still alive, too; that helped. She got a chance to see him one last time. Maybe he'd escape! Maybe he'd win, or something and he'd live and she could see him again in person.
She'd gotten the girl's letter shortly after, and been struck by it's harshness. She knew the girl wasn't a player, so she hasn't expected it to be so bitchy! She was stricken by indecisiveness though; on one hand, she would be supporting the terrorists who did this horrible act, if the girl was correct, if she watched it. On the other? There was no. Fucking. Way. She wasn't going to have a chance to say goodbye to her brother.
She sat, staring blankly at the screen like a stern statue. That sounded better. She should write an autobiography one day, where she describes how this played out from her perspective. But that was rushing it again. She needed to decide, now, if Theo's last moments on the island would be worth her viewing.
She clicked the link on the screen, leading to a page collecting the video. There were already dozens of videos, each labeled with different student names and areas and times. She scrolled around it for a bit, until she found it.
THEODORE FLETCHER; B027 START (Peak Clearing, 8:57 AM).
She clicked it and began to watch.
She felt no guilt. sleep,
A Conflict of Interests
The Fletcher Household; to be updated regularly
Theo woke.
Shot a boy but he lived.
That was good.
Ran around.
Holy fuck.
"Christ help me."
Theo.
He shot a girl.
Gunned her down and stole her shit like a psychotic sicko or something
Nancy wasn't sure how to feel.
Theo was addressing her.
She deserved a better big brother?
Hell yeah, she did. Why was he killing?
He apologized to the family.
What was wrong with him.
Why would he do this.
No. Unacceptable, Theodore Fletcher.
"Don't you do this to me."
Did she want him to come home?
Did she ever want to see him alive and well after this?
If so...
Was he in the right?
No.
Killing was a perverse act.
Theo was wrong.
He shouldn't have killed the girl.
How dare he.
She wondered if he deserved to die for this.
...
Nancy kept watching.
Shot a boy but he lived.
That was good.
Ran around.
Holy fuck.
"Christ help me."
Theo.
He shot a girl.
Gunned her down and stole her shit like a psychotic sicko or something
Nancy wasn't sure how to feel.
Theo was addressing her.
She deserved a better big brother?
Hell yeah, she did. Why was he killing?
He apologized to the family.
What was wrong with him.
Why would he do this.
No. Unacceptable, Theodore Fletcher.
"Don't you do this to me."
Did she want him to come home?
Did she ever want to see him alive and well after this?
If so...
Was he in the right?
No.
Killing was a perverse act.
Theo was wrong.
He shouldn't have killed the girl.
How dare he.
She wondered if he deserved to die for this.
...
Nancy kept watching.
Nancy had watched Theo shooting another boy, and all she could think was how could you. How fucking dare you, you douchenozzle, how dare you let these sick fucks who are basically killing you win. How dare you kill people. How dare you murder that boy and that girl and nearly kill another girl and break down in tears like he was soooo sympathetic, like he wasn't a murderer. Nancy stayed up late at night, watching him as he slept, and eventually she went to bed (her parents were asleep at 9 a lot lately, the grief was too much for them after thinking him dead and now all this). Then she watched him wake up, and she watched him end up in a dangerzone and escape with his life (what did she think of him living? Did he even deserve it, the asshole?) and then he talked to a girl.
He fucking
talked
to someone.
No violence or anything.
Like he'd made amends.
Yeah, right. That was a lie. He was still a murderer.
Then he went to a club thing in a golf course (this island was nice, which made Nancy wonder why there hadn't been a military initiative yet, it seemed like a specific place) and he went in. Then people came in, threatening him.
Nancy's heart shattered.
Oh god, he might die. Her big brother, who she'd played with when they were young, when he'd gone into a slump she'd felt so ashamed for letting it happen, and now he'd just made a mistake and she was going to watch him die for a situation that never should've happened. Nancy sniffled, and she watched him go for his bag and that other guy tackled him but he ran away and oh he wasn't going to die after all.
Nancy shook her head. She didn't know how she felt anymore. Theo was a good guy, right? He'd never been, like, a school shooter candidate or something, so why was he doing this? Why?
Nancy didn't know.
Did she even want to?
She kept watching as he ran away from the clubhouse thing.
He fucking
talked
to someone.
No violence or anything.
Like he'd made amends.
Yeah, right. That was a lie. He was still a murderer.
Then he went to a club thing in a golf course (this island was nice, which made Nancy wonder why there hadn't been a military initiative yet, it seemed like a specific place) and he went in. Then people came in, threatening him.
Nancy's heart shattered.
Oh god, he might die. Her big brother, who she'd played with when they were young, when he'd gone into a slump she'd felt so ashamed for letting it happen, and now he'd just made a mistake and she was going to watch him die for a situation that never should've happened. Nancy sniffled, and she watched him go for his bag and that other guy tackled him but he ran away and oh he wasn't going to die after all.
Nancy shook her head. She didn't know how she felt anymore. Theo was a good guy, right? He'd never been, like, a school shooter candidate or something, so why was he doing this? Why?
Nancy didn't know.
Did she even want to?
She kept watching as he ran away from the clubhouse thing.
In a way, Nancy was almost glad Theo had died.
She'd followed him, followed the last 5 days of his life, and it'd been the most difficult thing she'd ever done. Nothing could compare to watching her big brother break apart and become someone he wasn't someone horrible and violent and...pitiful, in a way, when he was beaten and helpless at times, and yet at the same time it was so hard to watch as 4 people died by his hand, his deliberate actions.
The hardest part, though? His actual death was so horrible she had to hold back tears. To go out like that was just heart-wrenching. She watched, but more out of horror than interest. She didn't want to see it, but she had to, to accept that he was never coming home.
Nancy had a lot to think about now. Who was her big brother now? He'd been a different person on the island, no longer the nerdy but sweet guy she'd grown up with. She wanted so much to pretend she'd always remember him as he was before SOTF, but watching someone do such terrible things made that hard to swallow. SOTF wasn't him, B027 wasn't him, but Theo wasn't Theo in the way he'd been before.
She supposed it was another thing she had to figure out at some point.
But now he was gone forever, and she'd never see him again, and that hurt. But in a way, she'd always known she'd never speak to him again, even if he'd come home. How could she? But now it was over, and she could let him rest in peace. Watching this had made her guilty, it'd eaten away at her. But now she could accept he was dead, and let him go.
She could accept he was gone now. Now she could close the laptop, go up and talk to mom and dad and cry into their arms, and start going to the therapy with them and reply to all her friend's texts and calls.
She could move on, as life was wont to do.
Nancy Fletcher: Moving on
She'd followed him, followed the last 5 days of his life, and it'd been the most difficult thing she'd ever done. Nothing could compare to watching her big brother break apart and become someone he wasn't someone horrible and violent and...pitiful, in a way, when he was beaten and helpless at times, and yet at the same time it was so hard to watch as 4 people died by his hand, his deliberate actions.
The hardest part, though? His actual death was so horrible she had to hold back tears. To go out like that was just heart-wrenching. She watched, but more out of horror than interest. She didn't want to see it, but she had to, to accept that he was never coming home.
Nancy had a lot to think about now. Who was her big brother now? He'd been a different person on the island, no longer the nerdy but sweet guy she'd grown up with. She wanted so much to pretend she'd always remember him as he was before SOTF, but watching someone do such terrible things made that hard to swallow. SOTF wasn't him, B027 wasn't him, but Theo wasn't Theo in the way he'd been before.
She supposed it was another thing she had to figure out at some point.
But now he was gone forever, and she'd never see him again, and that hurt. But in a way, she'd always known she'd never speak to him again, even if he'd come home. How could she? But now it was over, and she could let him rest in peace. Watching this had made her guilty, it'd eaten away at her. But now she could accept he was dead, and let him go.
She could accept he was gone now. Now she could close the laptop, go up and talk to mom and dad and cry into their arms, and start going to the therapy with them and reply to all her friend's texts and calls.
She could move on, as life was wont to do.
Nancy Fletcher: Moving on